Warm Embraces
by griZzlyAngel
Summary: Rick takes a walk through the woods with a special guest. AU, OneShot


A/N: Just an idea I had. This takes place in the time gap between season 3 and season 4.

Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Walking Dead' or any of its related characters. Those are all property of Frank Darabont, Robert Kirkman, AMC and all others who hold copyright to this franchise. However, all original characters made up in this story, like Emily, are mine.

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There was a chill Northern wind blowing through the dense forest of elm and pine trees, disturbing their branches, rustling the leaves. They whispered forlornly: winter was upon them. The signs were everywhere, from the shortened days of sunlight to the spreading wave of colored leaves to the hushed orchestra of katydids, Autumn was nearing its end, giving way to Winter's grasp. If only all these seasonal changes still brought the warm reminder of all that cheer of the holidays to come, perhaps Rick would have felt better. In these morbid times the thought of something as delightful as Christmas seemed as distant as someone else's dream from years ago. He tried, but could not find it in his heart to even smile at the memories that flooded his mind. Shaking his head in an attempt to rid them, the weary man strode further into the wood, his hand brushing the holster that held his pistol. It was nice to get fresh air outside the prison's fences, to feel the foilage crunch under his boots, to hear birds sing, to watch the trees sway in the wind. Nostalgia gripped him and he had to stop a minute. He breathed in deeply, closing his eyes. He wasn't afraid of walkers, at least not right now. His experience with them in the wild for eight months had strengthened all the senses he knew of and stirred those he had no idea he had possessed. He would know if one showed up. There was a set of footsteps coming up behind him, but it was too steady to be that of a walker's.

"Carl-" he turned, ready to scold the boy, then stopped short.

A young woman stood there instead, her arms crossed, a small smile on her lips.

Rick licked his lips, turning his body fully to her.

"You're not Carl." he stated flatly.

She shook her head. "Nope."

Her intense black eyes burned right through him, or so it felt. Her strong resemblance to her brother was nothing short of uncanny. Sometimes it pained Rick to even look at her, particularly in the eye. The wind blew, catching her high, messy ponytail like a flag. She was wearing Carol's ragged old scarf around her neck, he noticed. Neither seemed willing to break the silence. It wasn't awkward or anything. On the contrary it was pleasant, peaceful even. They both seemed to have acknowledged this, for they did not utter a single word for a good long while, just gazing at one another. Rick nodded his head in a signal to join him, turning away towards the wood again. The woman complied. They strolled on through the trees, side by side, in quiet understanding. This is what Rick had always admired about her. The sheer ability to just be speechless for more than three seconds, a feat that most people, male or female, had incredible difficulty with accomplishing. He himself had never been a huge talker. Neither had she. For all that she shared in looks with her older brother, their personalities could be best described as the human embodiment of Yin and Yang. Despite this, they'd loved each other more fiercely than any other set of siblings that Rick had known. This thought only served to tear his heart a little more. After perhaps ten minutes of walking in silence, Rick decided to say something.

"How are you holding up?"

"Fine. Just fine." her tone was firm, albeit glum.

Out of the corner of his eye, Rick caught her playing with something near her throat. He swallowed hard, recoginizing the silver, twenty-two pendant between her thumb and index fingers. Lowering his head, the ground suddenly became very intriguing.

"Are you worried about the Governor?" he asked quietly a moment later.

When she didn't answer right away, Rick feared that he had crossed the line. He knew darn well she was still healing.

"Yeah." was her soft answer.

He looked over at her, brow creased with concern.

"Hey." he halted, grabbing her arm gently.

The woman did not resist him, simply rotating around to face him with a doleful expression.

"What did I say?" he questioned her, referring to a past transaction between them.

"You said you would take care of me... For him, you'd make sure I was all right. You made him a promise." her voice was lacking of any emotion, monotone.

"And don't I always keep my promises? Huh?" he pressed, holding her at arm's length.

She nodded once.

"Always."

"Right, so, I want you to stop worrying, okay?" his eyes searched hers for confidence in his words, his grip on her tightening. "As long as I'm around, that bastard won't come within fifty feet of you. I love you, Emily. Don't you forget that. It was always you, me and Shane remember? We've made it this far and we'll go farther. I _know _we will. You just have to trust in me. I can protect you just as well as Shane ever did."

Her rigid features melted away to a much softer, tender look. A smile stretched her lips, she blinked back tears in her entrancing onyx eyes. The touch of her delicate hands cupping his rough face caused Rick's breath to catch in his throat.

"I know, Rick. I know," she whispered, stroking his cheek with her thumb. "You were like another brother to me. I could never have felt more safe than with the both of you around."

Her arms snaked around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder with a content sigh. Rick returned the embrace, holding her small body close. She was warm and welcoming. Rick found himself mirroring her sigh. He needed this. Needed a hug. It was something so mundane, yet so powerful. It was an everyday action that he'd partake in with Lori and Carl long ago, something he had taken for granted.

The wind blew wildly around them suddenly, its cold claws digging through their clothing, chilling them to the bone. They shivered, instinctively drawing closer together for warmth.

"Maybe we should head back," Rick spoke faintly, his eyes barely open. "Got things to do and all that, you know."

A rich laugh came from Emily, seeming to warm him up further.

"Alright. We wouldn't want stuff getting out of hand or anything."

"Absolutely not."


End file.
